Hi there, I'm looking around for a first tarantula. I've been fascinated with spiders all my life and kept various common true spiders as "pets" for years. Mostly my home is a no kill relocate little critter zone.
I'm older, almost 65 and have some chronic medical conditions which limit my mobility so I've been looking for a tarantula that would be easy for me to care for.
Probably terrestrial for sure. I would like to be able to look over and see a T sitting in it's habitat. I'm not interested in handling a tarantula as I'm probably not quick enough to recapture one if it decided to bolt.
And I'm also not interested in having a large collection either.. At most I could eventually manage 3 Ts. due to space and medical issues.
I've been wanting a tarantula for a few years, but my husband hasn't been "on board" with it until lately when he softened his objections and relented. :)
Anyway this is just an introduction and as this is a local to me board I thought I would say hi!
I now have a Tarantula Room enclosure set up, and an ExoTerra I will be setting up this weekend.
I had bought 2 Lee's Herp Haven containers but the tops are super hard for me to get on and off. I decided I might keep crickets in one but I don't want to be fumbling around with a tarantula in one. This isn't the greatest picture.. and I have some air plants I have on my window sill in the kitchen that I will add. But SOON soon I will be ready to get some T's. The bad weather and other stuff kept interfering.
I had ordered a Tarantula Room from an online vendor on Feb 6th and it was delayed due to the ice... and when it arrived it was badly damaged. But the vendor was very nice and got a replacement to me quickly.
As long as it doesn't get to cold for to long, they will normally do fine. Any long durations in cold temps would be problematic for them.
Well. I'm still waiting for the enclosures to arrive, I ordered 2 large critter keeper types and then decided to get an exoterra terrestrial with the two doors. And then I saw a new product on a youtube video and ordered one of those. So when the habs get here, I'll get them set up and order the T;s
Question, my daughter found some little plastic sedum plants that might look nice in the enclosures, but they have a strong vinyl smell, I have them sitting out airing but are there products like some fake plants that shouldn't be kept in a tarantula habitat? I kind of worry about off gassing harming the T's
Cat
Yes, both species could be kept in their final enclosures, no problem. Ideally for both of them you are going to want something around a 5-10 gallon fish tank, or comparable container. Aaron
Sounds great, not sure if you have zeroed in on any particular species. You might look at either Grammostola pulchra or Grammostola pulchripes. Both are very hardy species and are slow moving terrestrials. They are both slow growers, but would definitely be worth looking into.
I'll keep that in mind,
In looking at various lists of beginner T's I ran across an Eupalaestrus campestratus that was mentioned as being pretty good.
Overall I'm looking for a spider that is 2-3 inches and not a tiny sling.. If I were younger I would probably be all in for raising babies up, but want to enjoy a spider or two without having to wait years.
Cat
They are also good, I bit more nervous, but a pretty calm species overall. And also vero hardy
Hello, with what you have said above, I would look into Grammostola and Brachypelma species. Specifically Grammostola pulchra, Grammostola pulchripes, Grammostola rosea, Brachypelma smithi, Brachypelma Emilia. They are all terrestrial species, that are easy to raise, come in many different colors/patterns, and are not to secretive. Aaron Pnwarachnids.com